While Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) identifies what a customer wants to accomplish, the PULL framework makes it more actionable for founders. It adds two layers: understanding the 'force' that makes this job a top priority now, and identifying the 'lacking alternatives' that the customer is blocked by. This helps find customers who will buy immediately.
The ideal customer isn't just someone with a problem; it's someone actively trying to solve it but is blocked by bad options. This creates pent-up force. When a new solution appears that unblocks them, they will 'rip the product out of your hands.' This concept of 'pull' from blocked demand is highly predictive of sales.
Startups often fail by focusing on customer pain points. The vast majority of life's pain points are tolerated and never acted upon. Basing a startup on solving an identified pain point is therefore statistically likely to fail, as it doesn't predict a customer's willingness to purchase a solution.
An employee can spend their entire 40-hour week on a manual process without having any demand for a solution. If they view the manual work as their core job responsibility, they are not exerting force against it. True demand only exists when they say, 'I spend my day on this, and I'm actively trying not to.'
A user with a less severe workflow problem may be a better customer if they have a stronger underlying motivation. A billing administrator buys an AI tool not just for efficiency, but to demonstrate proactivity to get a promotion. This career 'project' creates a much stronger purchasing force than simply having a manual process.
When demoing to an executive, focusing on how the tool improves a subordinate's daily task is ineffective. The executive's 'project' is high-level, such as reducing labor costs. The demo must connect to that project by showing executive-level views, like dashboards illustrating a decrease in manual work over time, to secure their buy-in.
Redefine demand away from problems or pain points and towards an active force a buyer exerts against their current situation. If a customer isn't actively trying to change their status quo—by hacking solutions, spending money, or investing time to find an alternative—they don't have true demand, no matter how much they complain.